Apple App Store may have set a single-day US record on Black Friday

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• Apple may have set a one-day app sales record in the United States on Black Friday with $52 million in sales.
• That’s according to a new analysis from Sensor Tower, an app analytics firm. 
• Games, many of which were discounted, drove the big day. 

Black Friday isn’t just for doorbusters and deals — a lot of people download apps, too.

That’s according to a new analysis from Sensor Tower, an app analytics firm, which found that US consumers set a new single-day revenue record for the App Store, the software distribution platform for iPhones and iPads. 

Apple grossed $52 million that day — of which about 70% go to the app makers, and 30% goes to Apple.

That’s nearly 32% over last year’s Black Friday, and even tops last year’s Christmas sales. 

From the analysis: 

U.S. consumers spent an estimated $52 million on Apple’s App Store this Black Friday, setting a new single-day revenue record for the store. This marked an increase in spending of 31.6 percent over last year’s Black Friday, when gross revenue on the store hit an estimated $39.5 million, and 31 percent more than Christmas 2017’s $39.8 million spent, Sensor Tower Store Intelligence data shows.

What drove the sales? According to Sensor Tower, a lot of it was games. Many games offered discounts on in-app purchases and other bundles, which drew players in.

But other app categories saw big gains, too, including Food & Drink and Sports, according to Sensor Tower.

Apple doesn’t disclose App Store sales, even though it is believed to be the biggest chunk of its online services business, which analysts and investors hope can keep Apple revenue and profits high as the company seems to be facing slowing or shrinking iPhone and hardware sales. 

However, in early January, Apple traditionally releases a number of data points related to its App Store business. Last year, Apple said that users worldwide had made $300 million in purchases on New Year’s Day in 2018, for example, and that iOS developers had earned $86 billion since the App Store launched in 2008.